School governors: serving the community

Supporting people to be school governors is one of the many ways in which the County Council works directly with communities across Hampshire.

Hampshire’s Governor Services supports 7,000 governors at schools across the county, but they are always on the lookout for more. Schools benefit greatly from the input of people from all walks of life who give up their time freely to use their professional expertise, as well their personal skills and experience, to support school development.

You don’t have to have a background in education to become a governor, just an enthusiasm and desire to see every child is given the chance to develop to their full potential at school. You need to be able to work with headteachers and senior leadership teams and not be afraid to challenge them when necessary. Hampshire Governor Services provides a comprehensive range of support and training to help you become an effective governor. The service was one of the first to offer courses accredited by the National College for School Leadership for those aspiring to chair a governing body. The rewards of the role are many, but don’t take our word for it, here are three current governors explaining why they do it.

John Howard, Community Governor at Grateley Primary School, Andover

John Howard works in HR for the Army and was looking for a new challenge. He applied to become a school governor online and started in September 2013. He felt his experiences working for the Army, and as an Army Reservist, gave him a useful insight into some of the issues affecting pupils from service families. “Primary schooling is so important; it’s the foundation for lifelong learning. The enthusiasm of the children for learning is infectious and you want to do all you can to make sure they don’t lose that. I would urge anyone thinking about becoming a school governor to find out more.”

Rebecca Clark, Chair of Governors, Hythe Primary School

Rebecca became a Parent Governor in 2009, when her eldest child started school. She became Chair of the Governing Body 18 months later. “Without the training and support from Hampshire’s Governor Services, I might not have considered the role of Chair so early on. It’s challenging at times, but also exciting. It’s great to be part of the school community, contributing to pupil achievement and the school’s development, as well as cementing links between the school and the wider community”.

Janet Bell, a Local Authority Governor at Crestwood College for Business and Enterprise, Eastleigh

Janet runs her own HR business and first became a Community Governor in 2011 at Neville Lovett School in Fareham. In 2013, she became a Local Authority nominated governor at Crestwood.

“People often become governors because they have children at school. I don’t, but I am very interested in the future of our communities, in which young people and education play a vital role. I had HR and business skills that I thought I could bring to a school governing body. “The best part of it is seeing the impact of decisions that are made, on the pupils and knowing that you are playing a role in improving standards. I really enjoy it.